Begin Again
by faultinstars
Summary: After his previous relationship, Kurt never expected to find anyone to love him again, until he did.


Author's Note: Based off the music video/song Begin Again by Taylor Swift.

* * *

Blaine's seen him in this café before, he's sure of it. There isn't any way he could forget that pale skin and perfectly styled hair and especially those blue-green eyes that always had a touch of sadness in them. Blaine didn't like that, the sadness that always lurked in the stranger's eyes. It made him sad, it made him want to get up and go talk to this man, make him smile and take the sadness away. He wanted to make him happy.

So he did.

Kurt sat in the same seat everyday, the one right next to the window and closest to the door. He liked it here, it was his own little private corner where he could sit and sketch out outfits that no one would ever see.

Usually, Kurt would come into this café, located only a few blocks from the office and enjoy his lunch break in peace. The baristas here knew him, already starting on his order the second he walks through the door. He walks to the counter and pays, even though sometimes they won't allow him to, he still leaves a generous tip as a way to pay them back. Once his drink arrives, he'll start finishing some sketches, looking out the window at other peoples outfits to maybe find some inspiration if he doesn't have any.

But today, today is different.

It's a Wednesday afternoon and Kurt's been in the café for about ten minutes when someone, some man, walks up to his table and says hello. He looks up, taking in the man in the blazer with a button up shirt underneath a sweater and a bow tie to top it all off. His hair was curly, made of small, perfectly little ringlets that if Kurt wasn't lying to himself, he would love to run his fingers through.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" The man asks, his hands in his pockets as he rocks back and forth on his feet.

Kurt opens his mouth, suddenly unable to speak. He nods his head, watching as the man's smile grows as he sits down across from him.

"I'm Blaine," he says, sticking his hand out for Kurt to shake.

Kurt takes his hand, taking note in the softness and the noticeable calluses on the tips of his fingers. "Kurt."

Blaine smiles at him, looking down at the sketchbook that Kurt still has out and open on the table. Once Kurt notices what he's been staring at, he quickly closes it, placing it back in his bag willing the blush on his cheeks to go away.

"Hey," Blaine says, putting his hand on top of Kurt's once he's turned back around and facing him again. "Those were really, really good. I don't know why you put them away so quickly."

Kurt ducks his head, trying to hide his blush as he thinks of his last boyfriend Jake and what he had to say about Kurt's sketches.

Jake and Kurt dated for almost a year and two months before Jake broke it off, claiming that Kurt never gave him enough time, that he was too involved in work and his friends lives. He might've thrown cheating into the list of reasons, but Kurt wasn't sure, he just tried to forget.

It wasn't that Jake was a bad person; it was just that Jake didn't really… approve of anything that Kurt ever did. Nothing he ever did could please Jake, no matter what. It took Kurt six months to figure this out and only three months into the relationship for Jake to being easily tearing Kurt apart at any chance he got.

Jake never understood Kurt's love for fashion, always asking him why it was so important. He showed him his sketches once, telling him about each outfit the drawn model was wearing, but he didn't care.

"You're never going to get anywhere with fashion," he would say.

He began to say it enough that soon, Kurt started to believe him.

Kurt knows he should've left Jake sooner, his words were only harsh and did nothing but lower Kurt's self esteem, made him afraid that nothing he did would ever be good enough for anything. But Kurt couldn't leave him. He loved him, even when he was being an asshole because underneath, when they were lying in bed at night, Jake was sweet to him. He whispered nothing but kind words into Kurt's skin as he kissed him all over. And that made Kurt not want to leave him.

All it took was a few sweet kisses and kind words for Kurt to stay.

All it took was a cancelled dinner date for Jake to pack his bags and leave.

All it took was one slamming of the door and screamed words of "you'll never be good enough for anyone" to ruin Kurt's views on love.

Blaine sits with Kurt for the entire duration of his lunch break, asking Kurt questions about his life, what he does, and trying to find a subtle way to ask Kurt if he were single, which he failed at.

They talk about high school and how hard it was, but don't go much further than that. It might've been four years ago, but the wounds still hurt just as bad when they're reopened.

It's an hour later that Kurt apologizes to Blaine, as he's packing up his things, explaining to him that he has to get back to work. As he stands up, giving him a quiet goodbye, Blaine grabs his hand, stopping him before he gets further away.

Before Blaine even speaks, his cheeks are already turning a light shade of pink as his thumb runs across Kurt's knuckles. He looks up at Kurt, a shy smile tugging at his lips as he asks for Kurt's number.

Kurt just looks at him for a minute, shocked that this guy would even want his number. He's still baffled over the fact that this random stranger just sat and talked with him for an hour and now he wants his number? This can't be happening. Kurt Hummel isn't worth anyone's time. He was told that a long time ago.

In the end, Blaine's blabbering after Kurt doesn't answer him at first gets Kurt to give in, hope bubbling in his chest that this guy will actually give him the time of day.

It's two hours later when Kurt's back in his office, finishing typing up a report for his boss when his phone rings showing an unknown number as the caller ID. He answers it, remembering that he gave his number to Blaine. But he doubts it's him because it's too soon, even if he does actually call.

When he answers, he's greeted with a familiar voice, reminding him that it's the stranger from the coffee shop.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you," Blaine says, the grin evident in his voice.

Kurt blushes, trying to hide his face as best he can from any of his co-workers that might be around and looking into his office. "I couldn't stop thinking about you either."

Blaine laughs, "I'm glad. Really glad, actually."

They talk for a few minutes, even though they just talked not even two hours ago, before Blaine stops in the middle telling a story to ask Kurt on a date.

"It was actually the real reason I called but then I just got… carried away I guess."

"I… Yes, yes I'd love to."

You can hear a 'whoop!' come from the background and Kurt laughs as Blaine tries to shush his friend.

"Great, great. How does Friday night at 7 work? I know this great Italian restaurant we can go to. That is, if you like Italian. I mean, you might hate it and I don't know and I'm just assuming which kind of makes me look like an ass because I'm just taking a guess at what you—"

"Blaine," Kurt laughs, "Italian sounds great. I actually love Italian food."

Blaine lets out a sigh of relief. "Okay, yes, great. I'll text you with the name of the restaurant soon."

Kurt whispers okay and then they say their goodbyes, with the promise of seeing each other soon.

Kurt expects Blaine to be late; it's how Jake always was. But when he walked into the restaurant, he was surprised to find Blaine already seated at a table, looking over the menu.

When he looks up, he sees Kurt still standing in the entrance and smiles and waves at him. He stands when Kurt gets closer, stepping away from his seat to pull Kurt's out for him. It's not something Kurt expected, he's never had it done for him before. So, like an idiot would, Kurt thinks, he stands there, looking from Blaine to the chair.

"Sit," Blaine smiles, pulling the chair out just a centimeter more.

Kurt snaps out of it, sitting down in the chair and whispering a thank you as Blaine pushes his chair back in for him before taking his seat.

They order their food, making small talk as they wait. Kurt tells stories about his friends from high school, making jokes and picking fun at them now that he finally can. Blaine laughs at every joke Kurt makes and when he does, Kurt can feel this warmth throughout him, like someone is finally accepting him.

When their food arrives, Blaine begins telling Kurt about the time he serenaded a worker at the Gap with a song about sex toys. At first, Kurt doesn't believe him, thinking that Blaine is just joking around with him. But once he starts to go into detail about the performance and the expression on the guys face, Kurt almost spits his food out from laughing.

Kurt hasn't laughed this hard or felt this good in eight months.

Maybe things are turning around.

The following months are filled with shy stolen kisses at the café, stolen nights in bed as Blaine traces patterns across Kurt's bare chest, whispering to him about wonderful and beautiful and perfect he is. All Kurt can do is tip Blaine's chin up and kiss him slow and deep, trying to put all his feelings into the single kiss.

It's when Kurt's asleep that Blaine traces three words into Kurt's skin that he can't wait to actually say to him one day.

The first time it happens, it's one month into their relationship, and then from then out it becomes a thing that happens every month. Blaine will come into Kurt's work, a single red rose hidden behind his back. He'll say hello to the receptionist, asking her how she is before making his way down the hall, knocking softly on the door to Kurt's office.

He greets Kurt with a kiss when he answers the door, it's soft and slow and not nearly as long as Kurt would like it to be, but he still loves it.

That one day out of every month are the days Kurt looks forward to most.

It's on a Wednesday, exactly five months later that Blaine sits across from Kurt in their usual café. His chin is propped up on his hand as he watches Kurt add color onto his sketches. Kurt looks up at him, giving him a small smile and Blaine can't hold it in any longer.

"I love you," he says softly, hoping he put his whole heart into those words because he can feel them in his bones.

Kurt is the person he's supposed to be with for the rest of his life and if he could say that to him right now, he could. But he can't, so for right now, he'll stick with I love you.

Kurt freezes, his hand hovering over his pile of pencils that are scattered across the small table, his eyes wide. He wasn't expecting those words out of Blaine's mouth, he never was. But there they are, spoken softly to him and said with warm, kind eyes completely filled with love.

"I love you too," Kurt says back, a smile suddenly appearing on his face.

He does love Blaine and has ever since he threw his head back laughing at one of his jokes five months ago in this very café.

_And I've been spending the last eight months _

_Thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end _

_But on a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again._


End file.
